A talented former high school athlete and honour roll student who is outgoing and has a lot going for him, Kevin Breel may not present as a stereotypical mental illness sufferer.
But the Lambrick Park Secondary grad, who plies his trade these days as a standup comic, has been battling depression for years and has become a sought-after speaker as an advocate for talking about mental illness. Toronto-based Breel, 23, brought his message of hope to Vic High students Monday, telling them how he nearly took his own life, how he addressed his illness and how itB次元官网网址檚 important to reach out for help.
BreelB次元官网网址檚 TED Talk, entitled , has more than four million views and heB次元官网网址檚 taken part in the Bell LetB次元官网网址檚 Talk day to help bring mental illness into the light.
Vic High vice-principal Chris Koutougos, who taught Breel at Lambrick Park, has kept in contact with him over the years and arranged for him to speak at Vic High. Having a young person relay their experiences with depression and solutions to teens is a good way to encourage people to speak up, Koutougos said.
B次元官网网址淧art of it is us as a learning community recognizing the importance of understanding depression and understanding suicide, and [BreelB次元官网网址檚] story came to mind,B次元官网网址� he said.
The feedback on the talk was largely positive.
B次元官网网址淗e told us stories that helped us understand that this isnB次元官网网址檛 only about statistics, itB次元官网网址檚 about real people with real experiences,B次元官网网址� said student Ahmina Ibrahim.
B次元官网网址淲hile I donB次元官网网址檛 struggle with depression, itB次元官网网址檚 great to hear these stories so that weB次元官网网址檙e all aware,B次元官网网址� added classmate Bridget Laver. B次元官网网址淚 really enjoyed how he infused humour into his stories to help us understand these important issue. I wish more people could hear his message because I think it could save lives.B次元官网网址�
A concept that school staff picked up on was that Breel encouraged students to seek out supports already available in school, even if reaching out is on a friendB次元官网网址檚 behalf. Some Vic High students have already taken that message to heart, reaching out to school counsellors to have a conversation about where theyB次元官网网址檙e at.
B次元官网网址淲hat IB次元官网网址檝e noticed about this building is how caring it is,B次元官网网址� said Koutougos, in his second year at Vic High. B次元官网网址淣ot only the adults, but the kids care for each other and IB次元官网网址檝e seen how important that has been to helping individuals be successful.B次元官网网址�
Given his notoriety, Breel commands a healthy fee for public speaking, which more often happens at universities or corporate conferences. Given his connection with Koutougos, he agreed to forego his fee if the school would make a donation to a charity aiding youth mental health.
That will end up going to , a network of young leaders in high schools and post-secondary institutions across Canada working to change the way people think about mental health.
